The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-10-26
RAILROAD SLAUGHTER.
Collision Between Freight and
Express Trains in Indiana.
Many Persons Instantly Killed or
Burned Alive.

Many persons killed or burned alive, and
numerous MANNED, is the result Of the latest
railroad horror in the West. 1t took place
the other night at Kouts Station, Ind, little
place fifty miles east of Chicago, on the Chi
cago and Atlantic Railroad. A heavy fresh
meat freight train telescoped the evening
train, the New York express, which leaves
Chicago at 7:45 P. NJ.
The express, with one baggage car, two
coaches and one sleeper, had stopped at the
water tank for water about one mile west of
Kouts There the engineer discovered a part
of the engine out Of gear, and stop was
made to fix it. A signal is said to have
been sent back to stop the next train,
should it come along while the passenger"
was still at the water tank; but for some
reason this signal was ignored, if sent, and
the meat train, which runs at high rate of
speed, crashed into the passenger ex-
press. The entire passenger train,
consisting Of five cars was completely
wrecked. Amid the pandemonium of crash
ing timbers and human shrieks and toppling
fragments Of the wreck came the cry of fire.
The confused mass of spintered and broken
wood was in flames.
The engine of the freight plunged so far
into the rear Pullman that its upper works
dropped off in the centre of the coach The
conclusion drove the second heavy sleeper
into the day coach, which was reduced to
splinters The platforms Of every car were
torn away. The ends of each coach were
broken like egg shells. The cars of the freight
train were hurled in every direction The
upper works of tue engine were torn away,
the tender thrown across the track and piled
up for twenty rods. About the prairie were
hundreds of pounds of meat
train, but notwithstanding this supposed i'm
provement over the deadly stove the Goals in
the heater quickly set fire to the upholstery
of the rear Pullman, and in five minutes
flame which at first was scarcely larger than
q ribbon spread into e brisk blaze and
soon enveloped the shattered coaches
and their screaming occupants. The light
around and startled the farmers, who had
not yet gone to bed. Through the
rain and mud the rescuers came. The
crews of both trains who had escaped
with but slight injuries were already
hard at work dragging the helpless pasSen-
gers from their blazing prisons. Nearly all
were found to have been hurled to the front
end of the coaches, where they were
pinned and crushed by the heavy TIM
DeTS anu uOIlS VI uuo plaeloIiuo. Ouo
man, the head of Bohemian family, lay be-
tween the baggage car and the day coach. A
brake rod had been driven through his neck
and thus impaled he pershed, while his
family lay writhing in frightful agony beside
him, The fire burned with the appalling
rapidity of all railroad fires.
Reinforced by the farmers and their sturdy
boys, the trainmen set about their work with
a will. There was water close at hand, and
pailful after pailful was dashed into the
cracking mass. The railroad officials claim
that there were only twenty passengers on
the train, but the men who stood about
the wreck declared that the screams and
appeals of mercy came from double that
number of human beings The Pul!mans, al
though the first to receive the shock, did not
leave the track, but burned where they
stood So far as known not life was lost in
these coaches. There were few persons in
the berths, and though they were hurled one
upon the other, all escaped through the
windows before the flames burst through the
floor. 1t was in the day coach that the
slaughter occurred. This frail box was
smashed to atoms. The sides flew out and
the heavy roof sprang into the air and then
came down upon the score or more of
human beings who lay pinned beneath the
seats.
w. A. Duncan, of Syracuse, N. Y, Secre-
tary of the Chautauqua Assembly said:
"Our train got into Kouts at o'clock this
morning, and then we were told of the wreck
which occurred two miles west of the
men visited the scene of the
disaster. There were hundreds of people
around, but every one seemed to be so dazed
and excited that little had been done to
assist the wounded When we got there
a most sickening sight met our eyes. Strewn
all along the track amid the wreckage were
ten or twelve charred bodies.
II saw little Bohemian boy who was hurt
propped up against the fence dying and there
and two sisters. 1t was impossible to secure
names, as every one was half out Of their
wits, and it was long time after the acci-
dent occurred that any assistance was rem
dered.
"Ihunted up the night operator at Kouts,
and he gave me the following account Of the
disaster, which is about correct: Tho train
wrecked was No. 12, which left Chicago at
7:45. The train was made up OF five cars,
Just before the train arrived at Kouts,
the eccentric Of the engine broke and the en-.
gineer slowed up for repairs. The brake
man hung out danger signal light. The
train had stopped but short time when the
train behind, which proved to be the fast
Chicago "neat' train. rushed on at
tne rate OF thirty-tive miles an hour She
struck the rear coach, telescoped it and the
two in front, and left nothing but the front
baggage-car standing The three coaches
were swept completely away, nothing but
the trucks being left standing
'The wreckage Immediately caught fire,
and the wounded and dead lay in the flames
and were burned beyond recognition. The
people around there said that about ten peo-
pie were burned, but think there were at
least fifteen, as saw a dozen bodies laid
out"